Interview of the President by Thepchai Yong, Nation TV
The Library
October 14, 2003

3:23 P.M. EDT

Q Mr. President, I understand that during your visit to Bangkok
you'll be announcing that your administration will designate Thailand
as a major non-NATO ally. What does it mean to Thailand and to
Thai-American relations?

THE PRESIDENT: First of all, you're a pretty darn good reporter.
Secondly, it's probably best that I not reveal what the Prime Minister
and I are going to talk about until after we talk about it.

However, having said that, Thailand and the United States are very
close friends. The level of cooperation has been really strong,
particularly in matters of common interests. We have a common interest
to make sure our countries are secure from terrorism. As you know, the
Thai government very capably -- I emphasize "capably" -- brought to
justice Mr. Hambali, the planner of the Bali bombings in Indonesia,
the killer of hundreds of innocent lives. And I really -- and it was a
piece of really good work. My only point is that we value our
relationship and friendship on this key matter.

Of course, I'll be talking economics, as well. Our non-NATO ally
status is something I want to speak to privately first with the Prime
Minister -- and not on your TV screen, if you don't mind, but it's a
very good question. (Laughter.)

Q Some of the public opinion in Thailand, like in your country,
doesn't always support what the government does

THE PRESIDENT: Yes.

Q You may admire, Thaksin, the Prime Minister, for being
supportive of the anti-terror campaign. But there are people in
Thailand who are not happy with that, against the war in Iraq and,
again, your policy of preemption. And there are people who plan to
stage a demonstration to demand that you be arrested during your visit
in Bangkok. How do you respond to these critics?

THE PRESIDENT: (Laughter.) Well, I'm -- first of all, a society
which allows for people to express themselves is the kind of society I
admire. I don't expect everybody to agree with my policies. And I
appreciate the fact that they are able to express themselves. I'm not
so sure I agree with their desire to have me arrested.

Look, some people disagree with my decision to take action against
a thug who had been torturing his own people -- we've discovered mass
graves with hundreds of people that had been buried there, but it's
also a man who used chemical weapons. And the United Nations -- I
didn't act alone. The critics must understand that I was acting in
concert with the U.N., who for 10 years -- which for years had said,
disarm. And, finally, I went to the U.N. and said, wait a minute,
this is time to -- let's take care of this man one way or the other,
and give him a chance to disarm. And he didn't. So I said -- there
ought to be serious consequences for not disarming and we acted.

I'm going to tell you something, people have got to understand I'm
ont going to forget the lessons of September the 11th, 2001. These are
cold-blooded killers that received their support from different
governments, and this nation will act to protect our people. And just
like I hope the people of Thailand would expect the Prime Minister to
act to protect the people in Thailand.

Q There is an increased recognition among South Asian countries
that Prime Minister Thaksin, of Thailand, is gradually emerging as a
new regional leader. You have met him, you have talked to him. You
see him being different from the other ASEAN leaders?

THE PRESIDENT: Well, I certainly don't want to compare him to
other leaders, I think that would be unfair. But I do see him as a
very strong leader and a very capable leader. He's got a good grasp of
the issues. He understands how economies work. He is not afraid to
make tough decisions. He stands his ground in the face of criticism.
And so I think he is a very interesting, dynamic leader.

Q I think there are people in Thailand who doubt whether we
made the right decision to send Thai troops to help in the
reconstruction of Iraq.

THE PRESIDENT: Yes.

Q With mounting casualties on the part of the American troops,
there are people who doubt that it's worth the risk or not.

THE PRESIDENT: Yes, well, I think -- of course, in a free society,
there are doubters. But people ought to understand that a free and
peaceful Iraq is necessary for world security. A peaceful society in
the midst of a part of the world that's been troubled is going to --
for the long run help -- will help change the world in a positive way.
And, therefore, the idea of helping to rebuild a country ought to be
something the Thai people accept.

You've got to understand, the people in Iraq lived under incredible
tyranny and torture and rape rooms -- the kinds of things the people in
Thailand reject. These people were -- the tyrant brutalized them and
at the same time built up weapons and didn't spend the money on social
services. And so not only are we making the world more secure and
peaceful, we're actually making life better for people who had been
brutalized by this man. And surely the people who respect human rights
and decency understand the need to help.

Now, our troops are -- we're in the process of hunting down these
killers. And the more progress there is in Iraq, the more the
terrorists get angry, because they can't stand freedom. So I look
forward to making the case of the United States about why it was
important to Thailand to contribute. It's important for humanitarian
reasons, at the very minimum. But for the long-term, it's important
for peace and security.